Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

The warm weather is back which is making it feel like baseball season now. We get through a ton of pro and college news headlines, then chat with Edmonton Collegiate Hawks veteran Rejean Bourget (Bonnyville/St. Francis Xavier), UBC Thunderbirds freshman Kyle Yip (Calgary/Vauxhall Academy) and Baseball Canada Junior National Team invitee Eric Hartman (St. Albert/Dawgs Academy) about their seasons so far.
4:49 - Rejean Bourget
20:48 - Kyle Yip
36:15 - Eric Hartman

Baseball season is in full swing with MLB and the minor leagues getting underway. We get caught up on the CCBC as well and chat with Calgary's Ryan Dousett, who is with Okanagan College, then sit down with AHP Academy alum and Indian Hills Community College standout Cole Huebner and Dawgs Academy prospect Tim Piasentin, who is one of many players with Alberta ties named to the Baseball Canada Junior National Team's Extended Spring Training Roster.
3:54 - Ryan Dousett
18:03 - Cole Huebner
33:20 - Tim Piasentin

Not only is it Opening Weekend in Major League Baseball, but the Canadian College Baseball Conference kicks off this weekend as well with all games happening in BC. The University of Calgary Dinos are the defending champions, but both the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs and Edmonton Collegiate Hawks are hot on their tails. We get the inside scoop on all things CCBC with Logan Wedgewood and Sean Robbins of The Battery. Then we're joined by Ethan Webster of the Dinos, Zaden Wake of the Dawgs and Reece Devlin of the Hawks to get a look inside each of their dugouts.
5:33 - The Battery hosts
35:16 - Ethan Webster
49:39 - Zaden Wake
1:05:55 - Reece Devlin

We last chatted with Kyle Bloor on Episode 220 of the show as he was in the midst of a great season at Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he ended up going 3-0 with 7 saves in 21 appearances including one start, posting an ERA of 5.04 and 40 strikeouts in 30+ innings of work. Bloor had dreams of going pro, heading to Falmouth of the Cape Cod League hoping to capture the attention of MLB scouts. While he didn't get signed right away, he kept working away at things, and eventually got in front of scouts again over the last few weeks, signing with the Minnesota Twins. See the new story from Canadian Baseball Network's Bob Elliott here.

While the snow is flying outside here in Alberta, several Western Canadian baseball products are soaring at US college programs. We go through a few of the highlights before we're joined by St. Albert Minor Baseball and Dawgs Academy alum Max Hartman (Washington State University), Olds native and St. Joseph's Academy product Jaxon Zanolli (UMary) and we chat with the latest Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week and Carnduff, Saskatchewan's own Carter Beck (UMary).
4:12 - Max Hartman
17:07 - Jaxon Zanolli
30:38 - Carter Beck

In an unexpected twist, both guests this week aren't just chasing their baseball dreams, but they are also pursuing educational ventures in engineering. Dawgs Academy grad Ben Hoshizaki is into his sophomore season at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, where he is leading all Canadians in US college programs in stolen bases. We chat with him about the art of the stolen base and much more. Then we catch up with Vauxhall Academy product Cardel Dick, who is a freshman at the University of Omaha Nebraska. We discuss his inside-the-park grand slam, handling a Division I pitching rotation and his family roots.
4:15 - Ben Hoshizaki
26:53 - Cardel Dick

Andrew Albers spent 13 seasons in professional baseball, including parts of five years in the Majors with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. The North Battleford, Saskatchewan product was also a fixture of the Baseball Canada roster, playing in several major events including the Pan Am Games, Baseball World Cup and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His baseball journey has also come full-circle recently, as the former Saskatoon Yellow Jacket is now back in the city as the pitching coach for the new Saskatoon Berries of the Western Canadian Baseball League. Albers made the trek west to Vauxhall Academy of Baseball for their recent awards banquet where he served as the special guest speaker. Our Ian Wilson was able to track him down for what turned out to be a wonderful conversation.

We had originally planned to head south to Vauxhall Academy of Baseball for their annual banquet and awards last Saturday. Then I ended up catching yet another cold, then Mother Nature dumped a ton of snow on us, rendering us immobile to take in the celebrations. However, we have been able to catch up with a few of the honoured guests from what was, by all accounts, another smashing success. Our Ian Wilson sits down with Wall of Excellence and long-time coach Jim Kotkas for a candid chat about his baseball journey, then we reconnect with Episode #244 guest Brett Getz, who was named this year's winner of the coveted Reno Lizzi Scholarship.
5:26 - Jim Kotkas
30:53 - Brett Getz

It’s hard to believe but it’s been 25 years since the Lethbridge Bulls joined what was then the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League. That decision changed the trajection of the league, which would later become the Western Major Baseball League and is now known as the Western Canadian Baseball League. Take a trip down memory lane with coach Todd Hubka, players Les McTavish and Denny Puszkar and long-time official and now GM Kevin Kvame.
3:29 - Todd Hubka
9:47 - Les McTavish
18:04 - Denny Puszkar
31:02 - Kevin Kvame
You can read our full story on the Bulls' first season here.

The US college baseball season is well-underway and several Albertans are getting themselves into the headlines with great performances at all levels. We take a look at some of the best over the past week, then we catch up with Calgary Babe Ruth product and Lindsay Wilson College veteran Cohen Achen as well as Fort McMurray Minor Baseball and Dawgs Academy alum Justin Breen (Southwestern Oklahoma State University) and St. Albert Minor Baseball and AHP Academy product Jason Serafinchon (McCook Community College).
3:31 - Cohen Achen
19:26 - Justin Breen
34:50 - Jason Serafinchon

It's banquet and awards night season and recently, it was Prairie Baseball Academy who spent a night celebrating the year and two new members of the PBA Hall of Fame. Our Ian Wilson catches up with PBA head coach Todd Hubka as well as the two new inductees: Rob Greeno and Rob Watt.

We have an announcement to make: we are expanding and have officially launched Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. To mark the occasion, Dugout Stories co-founder Ian Wilson joins us for a bit of context behind our decision and what he's most excited for. Then we get a "state of the game" conversation with Baseball Sask's Greg Brons.